...Importance of Media and Democracy: Media democracy is a set of ideas advocating reforming the mass media, strengthening public service broadcasting, and developing and participating in alternative media and citizen journalism. The stated purpose for doing so is to create a mass media system that informs and empowers all members of society, and enhances democratic values. It is a liberal-democratic approach to media studies that advocates the reformation of the mass media with an emphasis on public service broadcasting and audience participation, through the use of citizen journalism and alternative media channels. A media democracy focuses on using information technologies to both empower individual citizens and promote democratic ideals through the spread of information. Additionally, the media system itself should be democratic in its own construction shying away from private ownership or intense regulation. Media democracy entails that media should be used to promote democracy as well as the conviction that media should be democratic itself; media ownership concentration is not democratic and cannot serve to promote democracy and therefore must be examined critically. The concept, and a social movement promoting it, have grown as a response to the increased corporate domination of mass media and the perceived shrinking of the marketplace of ideas. The term also refers to a modern social movement evident in countries all over the world which attempts to make mainstream...
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...PROTECTING CIVIL LIBERTIES IN THE AGE OF TERRORISM Name Institution Professor Date Protecting civil liberties in the age of terrorism Balancing civil liberties and fighting terrorism is a delicate task that is affecting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It is evident that most Americans want the government to fight terrorism and at the same time, efforts against terrorism should not infringe on their civil liberties that are enshrined in the constitution. Polls conducted in the United States reveal that Americans are divided on the issue. Some feel that it is important for the government to safeguard civil rights and liberties than to protect citizens against terrorism, while others feel that it is important for Americans to sacrifice certain liberties in order to fight terrorism. The revelations by Edward Snowden that the government engages in massive surveillance through the NSA (National Security Agency) bring out the urgency of this topic. The passage of the Patriotic Act was the milestone in the fight against terrorism, but it has been controversial from the start. Proponents of this law argue that it is important if the fight against terrorism is to succeed. It is argued that the provisions of the Act empower law enforcement agencies to gather evidence and diffuse terrorism threats. On the other hand, opponents of the legislation view that it gives law enforcement agencies excessive powers and without the lack of restrictions, individual rights will...
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...What Is Critical Thinking? Critical thinking is thinking that questions assumptions. It is a way of deciding whether a claim is always true, sometimes true, partly true, or false. Critical thinking is an important component of most professions. It is a part of the formal education process and is increasingly significant as students’ progress through university to graduate education, although there is debate among educators about its precise meaning and scope. Critical thinking has been described as "reasonable reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do." It has also been described as "thinking about thinking. Critical thinking clarifies goals, examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, accomplishes actions, and assesses conclusions. Critical thinking can occur whenever one judges, decides, or solves a problem; in general, whenever one must figure out what to believe or what to do, and do so in a reasonable and reflective way. Reading, writing, speaking, and listening can all be done critically or uncritically. It has been described in more detail as the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. More recently, critical thinking has been described as "the process of purposeful, self-regulatory judgment, which...
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...FINAL PROJECT “ NATIONALISM AND DEMOCRACY” PREPARED AND SUBMITTED BY HARSHWARDHAN SINGH 10BAL117 SEMESTER - VI SUBMITTED TO MR. Nitesh Chaudhary (ASST.PROF)(POL SCI) NIRMA UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC YEAR 2012-2013 DECLARATION The text report in the project is the outcome of my own efforts and no part of this report has been copied in unauthorized name and further no part has been incorporated without due acknowledgement. HARSHWARDHAN SINGH 10BAL117 SEMESTER VI Acknowledgement As a student of B.A.LL.B. (Hons.) of Institute Of Law Nirma University I had to undergo for a Project Work assigned by Asst. Prof. Nitesh Chaudhary. The project work was done under the guidance of Asst. Prof. Nitesh Chaudhary. I am grateful to him for his guidance and help due to which I was able to understand and complete this project. CERTIFICATE This is to certify that Mr.Harshwardhan Singh Roll No. 10BAL117 has done project on the topic “NATIONALISM AND DEMOCRACY” for the subject political science as a part of their course. This is his/her original work. Nitesh Chaudhary ...
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...Crimea and Ukraine crisis has grown. Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula, the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian militia are engaged in a back and forth standoff in eastern Ukraine, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened that the conflict “essentially puts the nation on the brink of civil war.” The United States has been at the forefront of building international support for Ukraine, and the Obama administration continues to assemble Western support. However, efforts to reach a diplomatic settlement, or at least to reduce immediate tensions, are still in progress. As the Obama administration prepares its next steps in response to Russia in Ukraine, it can examine lessons from two other administrations in times of crisis. First, the Reagan administration’s reaction in 1983 to the Soviet downing of a civilian Korean airliner and its response to the terrorist attack against U.S. Marines on a peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. Second, the Clinton administration’s initiative to proactively expand and deepen partnerships in Europe during the 1990s through its Partnership for Peace. President Ronald Reagan faced an exceptional provocation with the downing of the Korean airliner and a month later, with the terrorist attack against U.S. Marines in Lebanon, resulting in significant American and allied casualties. Keeping costly and possibly destabilizing military options as his last resort, President Reagan used vigorous but measured words to condemn these lawless actions and...
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...mutualism and industrial democracy of relevance to the 21st Century business management?” The world as we know it today is in constant advancement of technology and knowledge. In result, economists have developed a myriad of theories that have shaped and changed the way we manage people, time and resources. Organisation theorists such Russell Ackoff, Warren Bennis & Chris Argyris have been advocating the need for a more ‘free-form, humanistic, and democratic organisation’ (Nodoushani & Nodoushani para. 23), whereas theorists with the names of Henry Ford and Frederick W. Taylor oppose such notions. Some theories stand true and thrive in today’s economy, while others have faded as time has progressed. However, are ideas such as mutualism and industrial democracy of relevance to the twenty first Century business management? Is there still social and economic inequality? Or do citizens have natural rights to liberty, justice and property? Perhaps these ideas may have been diminished with time? This paper argues that the business management has had a major shift in its structure due to the concepts and influences of mutualism and industrial democracy. Although these ideas may not be prevalent in its purest form, there have been major refinements in the structuring of management in twenty first century, including the focus on de-layering and a more co-operative environment. Not all economies and establishments embrace the values of mutualism and democracy; however, it is still...
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...study and practice of education in a democratic society. It will be argued that at its core education is a normative enterprise, in that it is driven by fundamental social values as well as the imperatives of social justice. These values and imperatives powerfully shape every dimension of educational theory, policy, and practice. From this perspective, education requires a normative frame of reference. Democracy, understood as not only a political system but more fundamentally as a way of life grounded in specific values and principles, provides a powerful point of reference. At the heart of democracy is the value of liberty, understood as self-determination. Self-determination requires that there should be careful reflection upon and rational deliberation concerning social values and, in turn, the imperatives of justice that inform the purposes and practices of education. It will be argued that philosophy constitutes a mode of inquiry and a discipline that enriches the capacity for reflection and rational deliberation, and hence it is essential for both democracy and the study and practice of education in a democratic society. Education as a Normative Enterprise There are a number of ways in which education is normative. While what follows is not an exhaustive list, it is arguably sufficient to demonstrate the normative nature of education. 73 In Factis Pax Volume 6 Number 2 (2012): 73-84 http://www.infactispax.org/journal/ First, education is an intentional...
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...The tightening of de-colonialization through Basic Laws and the colonial mentality of HK people submitted HK to neo-colonialism, but the emergence of Umbrella Movement has showed that HK people started to form local consciousness and struggle for their own subjectivity. In the British colonial period, the domination of alien colonial power in HK was established by indirect rule and non-interventionism through the collaboration of local Chinese elite. The administrative absorption of politics harmed the development of civil awareness. British HK government prevented the emergence of political leader in local movement, through attracting them into administration system. Those local Chinese elite turned to support British HK government and enforced colonial measures to the masses. After the handover, the existence of Basic Laws put restriction on the development of the subjectivity of post-colonial HK. The Basic Laws were mainly aimed for preserving the institution and system in the colonial period, namely the Minimally Integrated Social and Political System. As a result, it keeps people’s attitude staying in political apathy because of cynics thought and the lackey structure. There were lacked demands of political participation and channel for political participation. Therefore, Law Wing Sang argues that this is virtual-liberalism, people were still the subjects of the former colonial master and under the governance of the previous colonial system but with a new name called “one...
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...Critical Theory concerns conflicting logics- a social concern versus a language one. In the pathways of developments in theory, there are two diverging points- one, the obsession with language, communication systems and, two the focus on social construction. On one hand, Critical Theory of society emerged to deal with those aspects of social reality which Marx and his followers downplayed and neglected. It takes a specialized sense, describing the work of the Frankfurt School. On the other hand, it is concerned with the dominance of language to explain all phenomena. The term ‘Critical Theory’ was coined in 1930s. The concept of language and culture being linked has been discussed for a long period. However, in the twentieth century, Critical theory marks a linguistic turn; a whole new approach to language, literature and interpretation. During this period one witnessed the rise of an astonishing number of theories that used language as a basis for thinking about every kind of human experience. There were ‘new’ ways of looking at psychology, sexuality, philosophy, politics, technology— and, of course, literature. The major theories that spawned in critical theory ranged from formalism, structuralism, semiotics, psychoanalysis, and deconstruction, to the responses and critiques posed by race and gender theory, cultural studies, post colonialism, and new media. At the very crux of literary theory is language. Books are made of language; the question 20th century critical theory...
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...Discuss the possible reasons that the United States has become the "Great Satan" in many Middle Eastern countries. Are there valid reasons for looking negatively on the United States? If so, how strong are these reasons? What should the U.S. do about it? The United States has become the “Great Satan” for a few reasons. One major reason is the Islamic religion belief; Islam is the predominant religion in the Middle East. The value of Islamic is very conservative. Islam religion had become effective in political power, national identity and economic prosperity. After WWII, U.S become powerful and strongest country in the world, The U.S. seemed greedy interested in oil resource and a making a profit rather than respecting the values of the Islamic culture. Middle Eastern countries were toward antagonism to the United Sates that has become the “Great Satan”. The U.S has shown the good will to Middle Eastern nations by providing military supplies, goods, etc. Many Middle Eastern nations have been helped by the U.S. and also Middle Eastern nations have given great advantages to the U.S such as oil. However, the U.S. should consider the value of Islamic culture deeply to become more friendly relation. After watching the video on the Suez Crisis, what are your thoughts? Specifically, how important do you think that this crisis was? Is there a legacy from it? Was the U.S. justified in convincing the British to leave? There are those who state that Eisenhower regretted not backing...
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...The quest to build a society where peace, unity and justice are its pillars, devoid of acrimony and rancor, as well as hospitable environment that has learnt to care for its citizenry has posed challenges to Nations across the globe. Nigeria is a democratic country in West Africa, with a population of over 140 million people (2006 census). Since Nigeria was officially declared an independent state and gained freedom from their British colonial masters on 1st October 1960, three major ethnic and religious groups has remained unified despite the challenges of civil war that lasted for three years (1967 – 1970), ethnic and religious crisis, that has ravaged the nation since independence till date and recently; terrorism and post electoral violence – the later having gained ground since 1999 when Nigerian transited to democratic governance. It is a truism that no nation on earth can achieve the dreams of her founding fathers if characterized by electoral violence, crisis and terrorism. Terrorism is a devastating trend that our contemporary world has had to grapple with in recent times. In this contest, it is defined as the premeditated use of violence by an individual or group to cause fear, destruction or death, especially against unarmed targets, properties or infrastructure within a state, with the intentions to compel those in authority to respond to the demands and expectations of individuals or group behind such violent act. The devastating effects of terrorism have been...
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...ethnicities, and religions. The Association of American Colleges and Universities supports higher education faculty and students to partake in programs that advance civic learning and democratic engagement, global learning, and engagement with diversity to prepare students for socially responsible action in today's interdependent but unequal world (AACU). Diversity courses, programs, or interactions in higher education are positively effective in improving students’ understanding and respect of our multicultural society, and are an essential component to educational institutions. Diversity education fosters a broad range of enlightenment and competency, including those of learning and democracy. Learning outcomes include active thinking skills, and intellectual engagement and motivation, while democracy outcomes were not limited to perspective taking, citizenship engagement, racial and cultural understanding, and judgment of the compatibility among different groups (Gurin, P., & Lopez, G.). It is said that personal and social identity develop best in situations during late adolescence and early adulthood, when one is able to experiment with different social roles before making commitments to groups, ideas, and a philosophy of life (Gurin, P., & Lopez, G.). These situations should involve “confrontation with diversity, encouraging people to think and make decisions informed by new and more complex perspectives and relationships” (Gurin, P., & Lopez, G.). Institutions with...
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...Democracy in America Robin OConnell POS110 Sept 30, 2012 Jeffery Steely Democracy in America One of the most basic rights we as Americans hold dear is the right to free speech. This is a civic issue that has been at the forefront of our country since its inception. This right is imposed on the minority just as it is for the majority of the citizenry by the government in an effort to recognize every citizen and their right to voice an opinion or even disagree about the majority opinion. Our current system of government stands true to the original ideas of the framers of the Constitution yet has also stood the test of time, moving forward as we grow as a nation, and still keeping the original ideals while amending those that become outdated with more relevant laws. The key to our democratic principles remaining in place is our commitment to our civic responsibilities in the country as a whole. The Constitution includes a system of checks and balances set there to make certain that all three branches of our government, the legislative, the judicial, and the executive, all must work together to make policy. This separation of powers and the requirement that all be included in policy making is what sets our country apart in its pursuit of democratic values. It was a disturbing omission in the initial Constitution of the specific meaning of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". The later ratification of the first ten amendments did go a long way towards clarification...
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...Faletto, Wright, and Mamalakis, represent world-sytem analysis, the dependencia thought, analytic Marxism, and sectoral theory. Historical institutionalism is discussed on the basis of the path-breaking work of Polanyi, and the comparative studies of Schoenfield, Katzenstein, and Gourevitch, who focus, respectively, on the changing balance of public and private power, variants of corporatism, and state autonomy in capitalist societies. Finally, Downs’ economic theory of democracy, the rival views of collective action by Olson, and Hirschman, and North’s work on the relationship between institutional change and economic performance introduce the economic approaches to politics. Requirements and grading Active participation in in-class discussions (20% of final grade) Four 2-3 pages long position papers on the readings over the term. Going beyond a mechanical summary the position papers should compare two or more of the assigned readings (where relevant), comment on them, and formulate a question or a critical remark to facilitate in-class discussion. Position papers are to be e-mailed to the instructor each participant by: tba. (20% of final grade)...
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...the context of economic and foreign policy. The immense economic growth Germany experienced and the partial reestablishment of the German military due to successful international cooperation with other nations cannot be ignored, and it’s necessary to assess the economic and political planning by Adenauer that enabled these achievements. The 50’s and the 60’s in Germany were a time of social stability, and there was no significant revival of Nazism due to the successful reintegration of many old Nazi sympathizers into society, ensuring stabilization of democracy. It’s also significant to consider Adenauer’s political success and immense popularity amongst the Germans themselves, inherently ensuring political stability. On the other hand, within a few policies Adenauer achieved only...
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